


Tit For Tat

by STARSdidathing



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Enemies With Benefits, Enemies to Lovers, Feels, Hopeful Ending, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Pining, Post-Avengers (2012), Propositions, Resolved Sexual Tension, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25144024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: Tony asks Loki for a favour. It starts a series of arrangements that quickly take a turn for the sexual.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 34
Kudos: 455





	Tit For Tat

**Author's Note:**

> Although not directly "inspired by" this fic, I can't ignore the inadvertent similarity to Arkada's lovely [Accepted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/777176). It's a fun and smutty read if you like this concept :)

Tony had spent a large portion of his life making unusual but useful business deals. He preferred to work above board and with people he could, if not trust, then at least feel confident in their willingness to uphold their part of the contract.

But, making a deal with Loki? It was a potential for pure disaster and chaos.

It didn’t mean he hadn’t struck one.

Loki had always been curious about him, and Tony had made use of that susceptibility to get Loki to meet him in the tower. He needed the help of a mage with a bit more power than Stephen Strange, and if he agreed to assist, Tony would owe Loki a favour.

Oh, Tony wasn’t so stupid as to give Loki an open-ended deal _or_ to use a wording filled with loopholes. There were _limits_ to his offer.

Yet, surprisingly, Loki agreed with little thought or care for the restrictions. He seemed _entertained_.

And everything worked flawlessly. Loki played his part without any mischief or hitches.

Tony had been wary about what Loki would request in compensation, but when he asked for Tony to be his source of good theatre tickets a week later, Tony felt... good about the outcome.

And, somehow, entirely unintentionally, Loki became a contact in his phonebook.

He wasn’t a ‘worst case scenario’, but he _was_ the person Tony only turned to when he needed a very specific skill set. Loki remained willing to trade favours with him. Tony was sure Loki only participated for the amusement value, but since it worked in his favour, he would hardly complain.

And, over the course of twelve months, they successfully completed five deals.

Nothing had made Tony consider removing Loki from his contacts or refusing Loki’s requested favours. 

(He did barter on occasion, because really, giving Loki a million dollars for a small favour was ludicrous. They settled with four hundred thousand, and Tony was torn between laughing or groaning when Loki used the money to make paper cranes that attacked buildings and burst into flames whenever the Avengers tried to catch them.)

The first time Tony felt a little… unsure about their arrangement was when he asked Loki for a more… personal favour; he wanted to get his hands on some of the metal Asgardian armour was made from.

He’d made his offer the way he always did; sent Loki a text inviting him over, handed him a drink when he arrived and laid out his request.

Loki was standing in the middle of the penthouse, watching him thoughtfully. His green eyes as indecipherable as the universe (but with enough time and effort, something Tony was sure he could crack him).

“I will get it for you,” Loki said. “If in exchange,” he ran his gaze over Tony, “you’ll kneel for me.”

Tony sucked in sharp breath, his eyes widening in shock. “What?”

Loki’s lips curled into a smirk, his eyes darkening with obvious attraction. “I want you to kneel for me, Anthony Stark.”

There was no way to misconstrue what Loki wanted. Tony’s mouth went dry. “You want me to do _that_ in payment for our… deal?”

“Yes,” Loki stated, no hesitation.

Tony swallowed. “And if I refuse?”

Loki shrugged. “I will find something else for you to repay me with.”

“But you’d prefer me to… kneel?”

“Yes,” Loki answered, his eyes, unsurprisingly, locked on Tony’s mouth. “I would.”

Tony ran the calculations and weighed up his options. He also thought about what it would be like to _kneel_ for Loki.

It didn’t take him very long to tip back the last of his drink and put it on the bar, decision made. He walked towards Loki and stopped within touching distance. They might still be enemies, but in moments like this, Tony knew he was perfectly safe. 

He also knew, Loki would uphold his end of the bargain.

It was why he gave a slow, seductive smirk and said. “Okay.”

He held Loki’s dark, dilating green eyes as he sunk to his knees.

After that, their deals started having a very specific theme to them.

It wasn’t every time, but more often than not, Loki would ask Tony to get him off. Anyone else, and Tony would have balked or flat out refused, but there had always been flirtatious banter and sexual tension between them.

Tony saw no reason to say no – and when Loki upped the stakes and asked to _fuck_ him, well, Tony was already too far in to back out now.

And damn, but the sex was _good_ ; just the right side of rough with Loki dominating him in all the right ways to make him push back until Loki made him give in. It was always such a pleasurable surrender. 

The thing was that despite it being a business transaction and a bartering system for favours it started to feel like something else. Sex had been part of their (increasing) deals for almost six months and it felt like the favours were almost the window dressing and the sex the main event. Tony couldn’t say he minded, but something did niggle at him.

It took him another two months to pinpoint what it was; Loki never kissed him even when it looked like he wanted to. Sometimes, Loki even looked like he wanted to stay; but he was always getting out of the bed too quickly for Tony to call him on it.

And, that made Tony wonder _why_ Loki had proposed a sexual arrangement in the first place. Desire was all well and good on the surface, but it didn't seem right. It made Tony wonder _why_ Loki had agreed to his first proposition to begin with (when, by all accounts, he wasn’t getting anything from the deal that he couldn’t magic-up himself.)

Once Tony started thinking about it, he couldn’t stop. He also came to a conclusion which… wasn’t as bad as it sounded. In fact, it made his heart race with excitement. They were meeting up once a month by now, and the excuses were becoming flimsier by the moment.

Neither of them had spoken about it, but Tony wasn’t as young as he used to be and Loki was hardly a villain these days anyway. Tony had also never been one to hesitate when it came to what he wanted.

He’d asked Loki to the tower on a ridiculous pretext nine months after he'd first kneeled for the mage. Loki hadn’t complained about his stupid request. He’d just pushed him up against a wall and latched onto his neck. They were naked within minutes and on the bed shortly after. 

They knew each other’s bodies and they came together with the ease and grace of a relationship they didn’t actually share - but then, they were both skilful liars good at tricking everyone, even themselves.

When they reached their climax, and groaned into each other’s skin, Loki lingered for only a few moments before he was rolling off and moving away – but instead of letting him go far, this time Tony reached out and let his hand touch Loki’s shoulder.

The mage stilled. Tony eyed Loki's tense form as the mischief god looked at the bed. This was the moment where everything could go wrong – or the chance for everything to go _right_.

Tony still felt nervous as he asked, "What do I get if I let you stay?"

Loki was instantly on the defensive. He glared poisonously. "Who says I want to stay, mortal?"

But, Tony wasn’t buying it. He hadn’t bought Loki’s act for weeks.

"Then leave,” Tony said.

Loki, if possible, coiled even tighter. His harsh expression faded, but in its place was something blank and cold – yet, buried beneath it, Tony could see something vulnerable. It was an emotion few people would see if they didn’t know what they were looking for; but Tony did.

He stayed quiet, his hand still resting on Loki’s skin; a grounding touch and an open invitation.

Despite knowing there was a good chance it would work, Tony still felt surprise and excitement when Loki shifted onto his side and wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist. Tony was tugged across the bed by inhuman strength until he was settled and arranged to Loki’s liking; his back to the mage’s front.

He hadn’t fought it; accepting and encouraging every movement. When they were curled up together (and with Loki’s face out of Tony’s view - he hadn’t missed that) Loki asked, his voice soft and quiet beside Tony’s ear. "What do you want?"

Tony smiled; knowing he’d made the right gamble. He wanted to turn his head, but he didn’t. Tony knew how much this was costing Loki to admit; he wouldn’t stay if Tony caught his gaze.

Bringing his hand to Loki’s, he placed it over the mage’s.

"How about you take me to dinner?"

He felt and heard Loki’s sharp intake of breath before the body behind him relaxed. It was as if all the tension in the world had drained from Loki’s body. It was followed by lips pressing to Tony’s shoulder in a kiss that was as much a reward as the dinner itself.

And maybe, if he played his cards right, Loki would not only press his lips against Tony’s own but stay for more than just a favour or a deal.

Because there was something far more precious between them than a business arrangement, and Tony wasn’t about to let that slip through his fingers.

**Author's Note:**

> So, basically, I just wanted to write the final scene and the culmination of their deal and had to pen the rest around it XD
> 
> Hope you liked! And don't forget to check out Arkada's lovely [Accepted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/777176) if you like this premise. I only realised the similarity after coming up with the original idea. So it only seems fair I reccomend their work :)


End file.
